Louisiana – the festival state

Mardi Gras is not the only party. The USA’s happiest state is celebrating all year round

T
he food, the music, the weather... Louisianans love any excuse to party.

Mardi Gras may be its biggest shindig, but each year Louisiana stages a
further 400 festivals.

Maybe that’s why a recent study ranked the state as the USA’s happiest.

The festivals are feasts for both the mouth and the ears – and it’s not just
jazz: try wrapping your ears around some blues, swamp pop or Zydeco.

The Pelican State is a gem of myriad facets, and its strong cultural identity,
a rich mix of French, Spanish and African influences, is one of its biggest
draws. This unique blend is best reflected in its spicy Cajun and Creole
cooking.

Try it on a culinary trail such as the “Creole Crescent”, “Capital Cravings”
in Baton Rogue, or “Bayou Bounty”, which promises to be a unique and spicy
adventure. If you feel like getting back to nature, much of southern
Louisiana is a thickly wooded maze of bayous, swamps and creeks that provide
cover for a dazzling diversity of wildlife, including skunk, coyote and
bobcat.

This rich and mysterious terrain has made the state beloved by film-makers,
anglers and general daredevils. The only risk in visiting is that you may
never want to leave.

Visit LouisianaTravel.com for more detail.

White gold

Before the Civil War, Louisiana plantation owners made their fortunes in a
different way from those in other states: instead of cotton, they grew
sugar.

The business became so profitable that its end-product became known as “white
gold”, because running a sugar plantation was said to be like owning a gold
mine.

You can get a feel of what life was like for the seriously wealthy in the 19th
century – about 30 plantations and their sumptuous houses are open to
visitors.

Staying out

In places such as Louisiana that have very mild winters, “out” is the new
“in”.

Nature enthusiasts can explore the beautiful Cyprus Island Reserve at Lake
Martin by kayak, while cyclists can pit their wits and two wheels in Lincoln
Parish Park in Ruston, which has one of the best mountain bike trails in the
country.

Anglers will be pleased to learn that Toledo Bend, on the Sabine River, was
recently named the USA’s premier lake for bass-fishing.

Spreading roots

The music of rural Louisiana is, much like its food, a multicultural
jambalaya, having evolved out of call-and-response field songs,
African-American spirituals, French-language Canadian folk ballads and
Creole dance music powered by the button accordion.

The Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette has become one of the foremost “honky-tonk”
venues for roots music in the USA, showcasing a range of talented local
blues, Cajun and Zydeco artists.